God of Elijah

My devotional reading today was about the God of Elijah, based on Elijah 17:7- Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

This brook was a life-sustaining source of water for Elijah and his people. It went dry. Slowly, totally, completely. But Elijah didn’t waver in his faith that the Lord would see him through.

And He did.

One of the lines in the devotional says: “And probably, long before the brook actually dried up, we would have devised some plan, asked God to bless it, and head elsewhere.” (Streams in the Desert)

Uh…yeah. Is there any other way?

I know there is, I truly do, but honestly, I don’t always roll that way.

I recently reconnected with a woman I met last year. We have spent the last couple of days working together. Her life is a testimony of the saving grace of God, and what happens if we wait on Him. Her joy and simple belief in God has definitely grabbed my attention.

I feel sure God has authored our re-connection, and I don’t want to miss this. I don’t want to miss the reason or this part of my story. I’m already struggling with the lessons I am to learn, because what if…

For some reason, I am reminded of a post I wrote almost five years ago: I Serve a God Who Is Silent. It is often during those times of silence that we make our own plans.

This is one of the lines I wrote: “This I do know…the silence can be deafening. So we turn up the volume in our lives…we eat, we work, we shop, we read, we watch television, we play games, anything…ANYTHING to keep from hearing the silence”. Perhaps we even make a plan?

So many times that’s exactly what happens. We truly want to hear His voice on a certain matter. We pray. We talk to friends and ask them to pray. And we wait.

For a day or five minutes and we’re off and running, making up what we think will work best for us and those we love.

Am I alone in this?

Do you serve a God who is sometimes silent on a particular matter? Do you become impatient or even afraid that it won’t work out the way you want it to, so you plan and you take steps to bring about what it is you think God wants to do?

I am guilty of this.

Today I find myself in a new place. I find that I am willing to wait. I am willing to wait through the silence, knowing that He is at work on my behalf.

Knowing that He has heard my prayers.

Knowing that He cares way more than I can imagine.

Verse nine in I Kings chapter 17 tells us the rest of the story: God told Elijah this: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food”.

This time? This time I think I’ll wait on the God of Elijah.